Vengeance
by MusicMadtm
Summary: You can never escape evil once it touches your life, as Featherbreeze discovers. One-shot challenge for BlazeClan: Revenge


**Yet another one-shot for BlazeClan: Revenge. Is it too gory or depressing? Is it okay? Please read, review and enjoy! XP**

* * *

"I'm sure you can pounce better than Songbird. Why should she always shine over you? Try what I just showed you." The light silver she-cat nodded at the large brown tabby tom looking at her, his green eyes gentle and encouraging.

"Yes! Why should I always be shunned?" Crouching down, Featherbreeze bunched up her muscles and high into the air with a precise swing of her fore-claws designed to bring down any bird. She landed on her paws but nearly lost her balance. Whipping her tail to try and stand steadily again, she looked at the big warrior with eager deep blue eyes. "Was that okay?" He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Before you leap, stay crouched for a heartbeat longer so that you can gather more power in your haunches. Stretch your forepaw up higher and arch your claws. Oh, and when you land, keep one eye on the ground so that you know when you're going to hit it and can judge your landing and balance a lot easier." Featherbreeze looked up to the brown warrior in adoration. "Wow, you've got so many good moves!" She meowed. "Will you teach me more things, so I'm not always trailing behind Songbird?"

The tom nodded. "You're a good apprentice." He purred approvingly. "I'd enjoy teaching you." Featherbreeze turned away to pad into the shadows, but she turned back to face the tom.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"I'm Pinescar." He answered.

* * *

"Come on, stretch your claws higher!" A harsh voice growled. If Featherbreeze had compared the meow that growled to her now and the voice of the cat she first met, she wouldn't have been able to link the two at all.

"I'm trying!" Featherbreeze launched herself into the air with her tail streaming behind her and arched her claws out of their sheaths until her paws ached.

"You still can't reach the branch! Honestly, you're no better than a new apprentice!" Pinescar snapped. Featherbreeze dropped to the slimy ground once more. Pausing to catch her breath and gain momentum, like her very first lesson, she crouched then leaped with all her might, straining and swiping her claws at the tree above her until she felt the rough bark lightly snag her claw. Dropping back down with a puff, she meowed, "I did it! Was that okay, Pinescar?" Pinescar nodded briefly.

"Not bad. But you still have a lot of room for improvement. You'll be able to pull yourself up onto that branch by the time I've finished training you." Featherbreeze glowed with pride at her praise, not noticing the slightly ominous tone in Pinescar's tone.

* * *

"Please!" Redheart hissed. "You _have _to leave them! They just want your alliance with them. They're training you to have brutal strength, speed and power so they can take on anyone, even StarClan!" Featherbreeze at first refused to believe her brother's warnings, but now she saw a ringing of truth in them. The brutal nature of the training, the harsh and savage warriors she had to train alongside and the dim, gloomy forest she had been brought to for her training were all fusing together to make an horrific image that aligned perfectly with Redheart's description of Pinescar and his fellow warriors. "Will you try to leave the Place Of No Stars? For me?" Redheart's blue eyes were soft with concern and fear.

The timid she-cat swallowed nervously. "I'll try." She promised.

* * *

"Pinescar, can I talk to you?" Featherbreeze meowed, trying desperately not to make her mew tremble like it usually did when she addressed anyone but her parents and littermates. The tabby tom nodded shortly and led Featherbreeze to a small copse in the slimy, leafless trees. "Speak."

"I've decided that I don't need to train with you anymore. I've enjoyed it a lot, learnt loads and become a thousand times stronger and braver than I was before I met you, but I'm happy with how much I've progressed. I'll always remember the training you've given me and will always appreciate it, but I'm so advanced now that I don't need to learn anymore. Thank you for such complex training, Pinescar." Featherbreeze turned away and started to leave, trembling with elation from her success.

Suddenly claws scraped her back and a huge weight slammed down onto Featherbreeze's spine. Her legs collapsed underneath her and her chin slammed down into the dirt. "You're one of us now." Pinescar hissed in a sly, slimy voice. "You're one of the Dark Forest, and that means that you can never leave us." Featherbreeze felt hot, rancid breath stinging the back of her neck and knew that there would soon be teeth in that flesh. Staying tensed for a second underneath her attacker, always following that first lesson Pinescar gave her, Featherbreeze hooked her claws deep into Pinescar's stomach and, with a huge heave, rolled Pinescar over and pinned him down with the strength and fury that rage gave her. Featherbreeze grabbed each leg and dug her claws into the flesh and the dirt, trapping the furious tom in her grasp despite his writhing and struggling.

"I'll remember this now, Pinescar." Featherbreeze hissed with glittering eyes, in a manner that she had never used before. Pinescar had given her that courage. "I'll remember that I can overcome you; you can't keep me here. Mark my words; this is going to come back to you sooner or later." Featherbreeze slashed savagely at Pinescar's chest before sharply withdrawing her claws from the body beneath her and stalking away with a curious balance of dignity and threat. "Watch out!" Featherbreeze meowed in an eeire sing-song chant as she walked away, not turning her head to address her attacker. _This means vengeance._

* * *

A whisper of leaves crackling in the breeze. A faint scent of someone who used to belong to this world. A tail-tip whisking out of sight as he tried to seek what followed him. _Has Featherbreeze returned?_

* * *

"Yess!" A malicious, almost insane hiss escaped Featherbreeze's jaws. Pinescar's broken body lay beneath her claws, a pool of crimson slowly oozing around her. _This power Pinescar has given me… the courage to achieve my every dream… a golden gift worth more than any prey. _A strangled yowl of triumph escaped Featherbreeze's jaws as she crowed over her victory. Euphoria settled over Featherbreeze like a glittering cloud.

But euphoria is dangerous; one can come to desire the feeling like others desire sunshine and contentment.

* * *

"T-the Place Of No Stars? Why am I back here again?" Featherbreeze took in the once-familiar forest around her, a crazed shadow from life in her eyes. From that very first kill, Featherbreeze yearned the elation she felt then, and achieved that feeling many more times.

"You are in the Dark Forest, Featherbreeze, to fulfil the rest of your days. Your craving and hunger for blood and murder will serve you well here."

"Oh, and don't worry. You won't find Pinescar here again."


End file.
